“You can bite people over there?” Stephanie frowned. “So Leonius wouldn’t be rogue in Europe?”
“I said bite, not kill or turn. Trust me, Leonius would be rogue anywhere,” she said dryly, and then sighed. “So long as they are discreet and don’t unduly harm the mortal, immortals can bite mortals in Europe. Although,” she added firmly, “while they haven’t yet outlawed it, it is somewhat frowned upon by most, and the majority of immortals stick mainly to bagged blood.”
“Have you bitten mortals?” Stephanie asked curiously.
“Of course,” she said stiffly. “I was born long before there were blood banks.”
“But since blood banks, have you bitten them?” Stephanie persisted.
Drina grimaced, but reluctantly admitted, “Only consenting adults.”
Stephanie’s eyes widened, and she squealed, “She means during sex.”
Drina blinked. That hadn’t been what she’d meant at all. She’d been thinking of the occasional formal dinners at the homes of council higher-ups, which sometimes included willing bitees for the guests to feed on. It was something she wasn’t very comfortable with anymore but was expected to participate in when forced to attend . . . and Stephanie should know that. She could read her mind. And she’d read it earlier, so knew it had been eons since she’d bothered with sex. Drina eyed Stephanie quizzically, wondering what the girl was up to.
“I don’t know why everyone thinks it’s so hot to get naked and sweaty and sink their teeth into each other,” Stephanie was saying with disgust, and then she glanced at Harper, and said, “I mean, imagine you were alone with Drina getting busy. You’re both naked and hot and she crawls onto your lap, her naked boobs jiggling in your face . . . Would you really want to plunge your fangs into them?”
“Er . . .”
Drina swung her gaze to the rearview mirror to see that Harper looked quite overset. His face was flushed, his eyes glazed, and then he suddenly swung the steering wheel and brought the car to a halt with a jerk.
“We’re here,” Harper choked out, practically throwing himself out of the vehicle and slamming the door with a resounding thud.
“You little devil,” Drina muttered watching Harper stagger toward the store.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Stephanie said with a grin. “Now he’s thinking of having sex with you.”
Drina turned her gaze to the girl, eyeing her thoughtfully. “You’re kind of evil.”
Stephanie took it as a compliment and grinned as she got out of the car.
Chapter Three
Harper stepped through Wal-Mart’s sliding doors, and then paused as Stephanie sped past him to pull a cart from a small collection of them waiting directly ahead. Shifting uncomfortably, he glanced around, his gaze barely touching on Drina before it slipped away. “I can probably find something to entertain myself with in the video department if you girls would rather shop without me trailing you around.”
“Oh, no,” Stephanie protested. “It won’t be as much fun without you, Harper. Besides, a guy’s opinion is always vital when it comes to fashion.”
“Vital, huh?” he said with a faint smile.
“Very vital. My dad always said no woman can tell another woman what looks best on her, only a man can,” she assured him. “And Drina and I want to look our best in case we run into some hunky guys when she takes me to lunch.”
“Lunch?” he asked with a frown.
“Oh.” Stephanie frowned. “Well, she promised we’d go to lunch after shopping, but that was when we were going by ourselves. I suppose that’s out now,” she added, her head lowering with disappointment.
“I’ll take you both to lunch,” Harper said quickly when her lower lip began to tremble.
“Really?” Stephanie brightened at once. Beaming happily, she gave him a hug. “Thank you, Harper. Here, you can push the cart while Drina and I throw clothes in. It will give you something to do. Come on, Drina. I need scads of clothes.”
“Hmm,” Harper muttered, taking her place at the cart when she danced out in front of it to lead the way. He had the distinct impression he’d been played here, an impression that only solidified when Drina chuckled “sucker” in a soft voice as she followed Stephanie into the aisles.
Harper shook his head and followed the pair, sighing when he realized his eyes had seemed to fasten on Drina’s behind and appeared unwilling to leave it. It was Stephanie’s fault. That business about being naked and sweaty with Drina, getting it on, and her crawling in his lap, her breasts jiggling . . . Would he want to plunge his fangs into her? The girl’s words had painted a picture in his head of the two of them entwined on the sheets of his bed, Drina straddling his lap facing him and his plunging more than just his fangs into her. It had been a rather invigorating image that had left him hot, flushed, flustered, breathless, and damnably excited. And hell yes, he’d have wanted to sink his fangs in her, as well as other things. The thought had so startled Harper that he hadn’t been able to get out of the car, and away from the image, fast enough. Unfortunately, the image was following him.